


One day at a time

by regie027



Series: The Path [8]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon Divergence, F/F, Family Feels, Female Friendship, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, Metalbenders and waterbenders make great pairings, Non-Canon Relationship, Romance, kya is an amazing listener
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28463070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regie027/pseuds/regie027
Summary: Amidst travel among friends, an unexpected delay allows Kuvira to realize that there are more people at her side than she had realized. A soft one-shot (maybe) to cap up the year. Part of The Path series.
Relationships: Korra/Kuvira (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II
Series: The Path [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1485029
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	One day at a time

It was barely past noon when enthusiastic shrieks coming from the opposite side of the airship stirred Lin Beifong from her relaxed state. The massive airship had taken a slight detour to indulge in breathtaking panoramic views and it was now flying over the vast expanse known as the Foggy Swamp. A pig-tailed eight-year-old pressed her face against the glass window and immediately dashed towards her parents while gesturing enthusiastically at something below. At her insistence, they moved to see what their child wanted to show them this time. Soon they along with other curious passengers saw what had captured the child’s attention. Their gazes became momentarily transfixed by the sight of the majestic Banyan Grove tree that rose defiantly over a seemingly endless sea of green foliage as if it wished to reach the firmament above and brush the cotton-white clouds with its long branches.

From a discreet corner, sleepy blue eyes peered at the scene and then at the pair of middle-aged women sitting in front of her as she attempted to gauge their reactions. A slight grunt at her side made her shift her gaze momentarily towards her companion. The woman’s head was tilted back in a weird angle but she seemed to be unconcerned by the surrounding racket. Korra had learned that Kuvira could sleep undisturbed through the loudest of thunderstorms so this was child’s play in comparison, she realized with a smirk. Her attention went back to her other travel companions. Lin Beifong was pursing her lips in a slight harrumph while Kya gazed at her as a smile perched playfully on her lips.

“So, whose bright idea was to travel like this?” Korra inquired with a weary expression. She rarely minded children’s enthusiasm. In fact, during the first two days of travel, she had joined the kids in their excitement because for most of them it was their first trip aboard an airship, but this particular girl had proven to have enough stamina to exhaust even the seemingly inexhaustible Korra. By the third and final day of their trip from Republic City to the metal marvel city of Zaofu, her exuberance was widely felt by virtually everyone on board.

“Don’t look at me, it wasn’t mine,” quickly replied Kya, issuing a subtle side-eye glance at a glaring Chief Beifong.

“We could’ve been traveling in a state-of-the-art airship from Zaofu or on the lap of luxury in Asami’s personal airship if we had asked her, but noooo. Chief Crankypants had to say no to the idea and I still don’t understand why.”

Lin crossed her arms over her chest, her lower lip jutting out. She seemed dismayed and borderline offended by the Avatar’s questioning of something that seemed straightforward logical to her.

“What part of making our arrival a surprise you don’t understand? The arrival part or the surprise one?”

“But why the secrecy? You’ve been on good terms with Su for years now. I don’t get it.”

“Korra, Linny didn’t want to turn this trip into an event. She knew that if Suyin knew about it, she’ll make a huge thing out of the visit and that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to avoid. We might not be traveling as comfortably as we could in a Zaofu airship, but the surprise factor would’ve been lost. No one expects the Avatar or the Republic City police chief to be traveling on an ordinary aircraft along with families and tourists.”

“But that makes little sense! We should’ve asked Zhu Li or Asami. I’m sure she would have lent us one of hers like she’s always done.”

“You’ve reminded me that for...how many times now Kya? Yes Korra, I’m aware Asami has an entire fleet of airships at her disposal,” remarked Lin rolling her eyes.

“I don’t think secrecy would’ve been an issue with ‘Sami but you already know that,” the Avatar protested. 

“But her beau Baatar would have ended blurting the secret to his mom. He can’t help it,” interjected Kuvira with a sleepy voice as she turned slightly to her side, snuggling against Korra without opening her eyes. Korra blinked hard as she stared at her girlfriend suspiciously. She had believed the metalbender to be out cold, but apparently, she was more alert than she let out.

“Still sneaky,” muttered Kya, amused at the sight of Korra’s twitching eyebrows and Kuvira’s seemingly innocent expression. 

“Just be grateful we are flying…” muttered Lin cryptically.

“You weren’t seriously considering driving all the way there…” Korra exclaimed aghast.

“No, but Linny thought about asking Tenzin for Oogi.” The way the waterbender glared at the police chief communicated quite eloquently her thoughts on that particular matter.

“That would’ve taken forever, and besides, it meant setting up camp outdoors. I like roughing it up once in a while, but Air Bison...really Lin?”

“Alright, it was just a suggestion,” blurted the metalbender, evidently fed up with the topic. She had already endured listening to Kya’s opinion on the matter and she didn’t need Korra of all people to pile upon it too.

“Anyway, by the end of the day we should be at our destination with the discretion we wanted, and this conversation will be a moot point,” affirmed Kya confidently.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” All eyes went to Kuvira who was sitting up straight now. The metalbender appeared to have gone into alert mode. She crossed glances with Lin, and the chief’s expression was one of full concentration.

“What do you mean?” Korra asked, wondering what could have stirred the former captain from her rest.

“I would’ve picked it up earlier if I hadn’t been napping,” Kuvira muttered at Lin who seemed to have immediately understood what the metalbender meant. 

“Vira, you’re not making any sense. Are you sleepwalking again?” Korra queried as she watched Kuvira pace around with one hand palming the interior wall of the flying contraption. 

Kya couldn’t help the involuntary tightening of her jaw. A sleepwalking Kuvira was a scenario she’d rather not contemplate. If the metalbender was not to be messed with when fully alert and awake, she didn’t want to even imagine what a sleepwalking one might do. Concern creased across Kya’s forehead. 

“It’s not what you think!” Korra blurted. “She only mumbles in her sleep occasionally and just this one time, she sleepwalked around the house and ended up bending some pots and the frying pan inside the kitchen, but she had been sick and exhausted for days. It gave Naga and me quite the scare, to be honest. Lately, she hasn’t slept well with the anxiety of going back to Zaofu....”

Suddenly, Lin made a gesture that ceased Korra’s rambling. She seemed to listen attentively to something with Kuvira at one side of the ship.

“I’m slacking off. I would have caught on to this in a heartbeat in my prime,” muttered Kuvira disappointedly. 

“You’re not the only one slacking off. There are three metalbenders among us and none of us noticed until now,” Lin noted.

“Wait! I think I perceive it now. The metallic rattling...it’s very subtle, but it wasn’t there before.” Korra had joined the other two women, leaving a perplexed Kya behind.

“Can you sense it now, Kor?” 

“Yeah.” Korra nodded and offered Kuvira a gentle smile. The former captain using the pet name they’d finally settled on for her subtly communicated the situation wasn’t of an urgent matter. The Avatar let out a long exhale in relief.

Lin returned to her seat with a resigned expression. “I guess this means we’ll have a delay. I just hope it’s not too prolonged. I was really looking forward to a hot shower and a relaxing stroll at the gardens with Kya to feed the turtleducks at the pond.”

Kya was glaring at the three of them now, hands firmly placed over her waist. Neither had yet disclosed to the waterbender what was happening, and her patience had already grown thin.

“Can you now tell me what’s going on?” she snapped. Lin gulped. Kya was seldom irritated, but when she was, it was quite the harrowing experience, even for one usually fearless Chief Beifong. Lin was about to answer when a brief melody broadcasted from the airship’s PA prefaced a message from the flight deck.

“Esteemed passengers'' the voice of the pilot was clear and pleasant. “We will make an unscheduled stop for minor repairs. We'll be coming down in 10 minutes so please return to your seats and prepare for landing.”

The pieces suddenly fell in place inside Kya’s head. 

“Oooh, I get it now.” 

“Yep. It’s nothing to worry about but it will set our ETA back for at least a couple of hours. If we had paid attention earlier, we could have probably alerted the crew for repairs without the need to land,” Kuvira explained. 

Well, I gotta give to you Linny, if we had chosen Oogi we wouldn’t be having this situation right now,” Kya commented wryly. Suddenly, Lin burst into a laughing fit so contagious that the others mimicked until the anxiety withered away with a hearty chuckle.

“See? And you all discarded the idea as silly.”

Korra was about to intervene, but Kuvira clasped her hand, hard, making her wince. When she glanced at Kuvira, she mouthed “don’t say it.” Korra blushed at the realization that the metalbender guessed what she was about to say. Was she that transparent? Or perhaps the damned woman was now developing mind-reading powers on top of her already impressive skills roster? She was opening her mouth to protest when Kuvira leaned for a kiss. As far as strategies go, this one proved to be quite effective, utterly disarming the Avatar.

“So you’re a mind reader now?” Korra observed once she pulled back.

“Sort of,” she replied with a smirk. “Did I guess right?”

“That I was about to piss Lin off by mentioning a certain heiress, and that we could’ve avoided this delay? Yeah, I’m afraid I’m becoming predictable.”

Kuvira’s confident grin did a good job in concealing the fact that she was just as surprised as Korra at the correct guess. 

“Nah, it was just a hunch. Besides, you also caught the ship’s malfunction. I’m impressed! Not every metalbender develops this ability.” 

Korra flashed a big, dorky grin, savoring the praise. “That should be proof enough for you and Lin that I’ve been really paying attention to your lessons.”

“You’ve been very diligent, not to mention competitive.”

“What’s the point of learning all these new skills without indulging in a bit of competition? That’s the only way to know I’m improving, don’t you think?”

“If you keep that up, there won’t be anyone left for you to challenge,” Kuvira quipped wryly. Thank Kyoshi that Korra happened to be a very competent healer because when they sparred, she ended up paying for her girlfriend’s enthusiasm in an assortment of scars and bruises that made her seriously consider borrowing Lin’s armor for their practice sessions. 

“There’s still stuff I can learn like lightning bending…”

“Leave something for the mere mortals like us, Avatar,” the metalbender objected.

“I’ll think about it. Now let’s get ready for landing and to be stuck here for a while.”

Kuvira reached for her hand and allowed their fingers to interlock.

“I couldn’t be stuck with a better person,” the metalbender whispered as she settled her head back over the Avatar’s shoulder.

Korra brought the metalbender closer against her and placed a feathery kiss atop her head.

“Neither could I.”

~~oOo~~ 

An hour had gone by and as the crew concentrated on repairing the aircraft, many passengers kept busy by exploring the valley chosen as their improvised landing zone. Some were huddled around a campfire, waiting for a second serving of tea, while others were simply relaxing with a nap under the sun. One particular passenger was pacing back and forth with such force that the grass beneath her boots had virtually vanished, and a patch of dark brown soil had been revealed.

“That’s it! I can’t stay here doing nothing!” Chief Lin Beifong growled under her breath.

“But Lin, you’re no mechanic.”

“I know that, but I could assist in some other way. Anything is preferable than waiting around doing nothing.”

Kya arched an eyebrow as her lips curved into a playful grin. “But we don’t have to be waiting around doing nothing. The girls sure seem to have the right idea about how to spend their idle time,” the waterbender commented coyly. Her hand went to point towards a secluded area nearby. From behind a thick tree flanked by bushes, whispered conversations interrupted by giggling fits intermingled with the sound of a stream, and the sharp chirps from the birds perched atop the long tree branches were the only thing that betrayed their presence. 

Lin simply rolled her eyes to Kya’s utter disappointment. “I’m not in the mood. Besides, I’d rather be on our way so we can make it to Zaofu before nightfall. You know that Su will keep us busy for hours asking us all sort of things, so the quicker we deal with that, the sooner I can be truly alone with you.”

“Aaaww Lin,” Kya exclaimed, evidently touched by the chief’s plans. “You mean it?”

“Of course! Why do you think I want to be done with this?”

Kya promptly replied by planting a big smooch over a startled Lin’s lips. “Now you go and make yourself useful, Lin Beifong! And I will get you some help. Perhaps it’s time the Avatar intervened.”

“Sure, why not. When they realize there’s a celebrity among the passengers, that might motivate them to work faster. You tell her to meet me there.”

“Yes, Chief!” Kya saluted, and Lin couldn’t help but chortle at Kya’s antics before she made her way back to the airship.

As Kya walked towards the tree, she proceeded with caution, determined not to create an embarrassing moment for the girls or for herself for that matter. She had experienced one too many moments like that in her teenage years, courtesy of Bumi never being one too particularly inclined to respect boundaries when playing his pranks. Kya, unlike her brother, was very particular when it came to privacy. After all, she was dating one of the most private persons she’d met in her life, and that understanding had really helped them in their relationship. Kya took a minute to think about how to best call on Korra’s attention when an idea flashed on her mind. She got closer to the stream and bended some water out. With long, graceful moments of her arms, the water quickly changed from a liquid state to solid until she had a medium-sized snowball levitating over her hands. She plotted a precise trajectory, guiding the ball just behind the tree. There was a pause and suddenly, a stream of curses that would’ve made a pirate blush was heard. Kya let out a smug grin curve on her mouth as she saw Korra emerge from her concealed place with snow atop her head.

“Bullseye!” muttered the veteran waterbender to herself.

“Okay Kya, you’ve got my attention,” Korra mumbled as she approached the elder woman, leaving pieces of iced water along her path. 

The Avatar’s hair was a damp mess, but her hair wasn’t the only thing that had been dampened apparently. Kuvira’s face was betraying the fact that she was trying hard not to guffaw. 

Kya let out a relieved chuckle. The things she did for Lin Beifong...At least it didn’t seem she interrupted anything too intense judging by the pair’s appearance but she still felt a bit guilty about putting a forced end to their quiet romantic interlude. 

“Our enterprising Chief Beifong wants to help the crew fix the airship, and she needs your help.”

“But we know nothing of fixing machines, much less an airship. I might have dated Asami, but none of that knowledge rubbed on me. I can’t even drive, much less fix a machine,” Korra admitted.

“Well, she’s determined you can help somehow and you know how Lin is. She’s waiting for you on the airship as we speak.”

Korra groaned. “Oh, alright! Let’s go VIra.”

“Actually, I would like to have a word with Kuvira, if she doesn’t mind.”

“Uh, sure. I think you can manage yourself without me for a while. Now go and help Lin,” the metalbender replied as she watched Korra trot away.

“I heard you haven’t been sleeping well lately.” Kya’s melodic voice pulled her attention back to her companion.

Kuvira’s cheeks tinted for a brief moment. “To be honest, going back to Zaofu is still hard. I’m on good terms with everyone back home but I just can’t help getting anxious. I’m glad this time I have Korra by my side because she gets it.”

Kya smiled at that. The things these two had lived through could easily fill many lifetimes, and in their challenges, they had forged a most unexpected kinship that defied the odds and logic but was arguably very much real.

“I’m glad to hear that. Linny won’t say directly because she’s just not good at expressing her feelings but she’s taken a shine on you.”

At the mention of Lin, the younger metalbender’s face softened. Her mind went back to when she was in exile back at the South Pole. It was there that the elder Beifong sister revealed she cared for Suyin’s wayward protege. In a surprising twist that had baffled everyone including Kuvira, and had irritated Suyin, Lin became one of Kuvira’s staunchest supporters and without a doubt, the police chief had been instrumental in her rehabilitation and redemption. The debt she owed Lin Beifong was simply incalculable.

“I think the fact that both Lin and you have had personal issues with Suyin makes the two of you sort of kindred spirits. Lin senses you understand on an emotional level better than most the complexity of her relationship with Su.”

“What can I say...I lived with the woman for almost as long as Lin did. I can certainly relate.”

“Just between you and me, Lin was the one who suggested inviting you on this trip. I believe she sees a younger self in you and wants you to avoid making the same mistakes she did with her family. You have shown the same righteous idealism she had when she began her career in the force, and the ironclad determination to prove oneself to a motherly figure is pretty evident.”

“I haven’t told Lin this, but I can’t thank her enough for putting up with me. Maybe it’s because she’s a Beifong, but she always reminds me of home and it has helped me adapt better to my new life in Republic City.”

“You should tell her. I bet it’ll make her day.”

“You think so?”

“I’m sure of it. She’s really strong, but she appreciates being complimented even if she doesn’t show it.”

“Alright. Next time she drops by home for coffee, I’ll let her know.”

“And how’s your relationship with Suyin doing?”

The younger metalbender gave Kya a hesitant look. A prolonged pause ensued.

“If I’m prying and making you feel uncomfortable, I can drop it here” offered Kya apologetically.

“It’s not that. I guess I’m not used to talking about Suyin with other people other than Korra. There’s also the therapist I’ve been seeing as part of the sentence commutation agreement, but it’s not the same.” 

Kya placed a hand over the younger woman’s shoulder. “Kuvira, you should know that if you need to talk, you can always come over to Air Temple Island and drop by for a visit. I’ve been told I’m a good listener. Linny too, when she’s not obsessing over a tough case with Mako, of course,” she added with a smirk. To the casual observer, Chief Beifong’s only concern in the world was her duty as head of the police, but to those lucky few granted access to the real Lin knew how underneath that stern exterior laid a caring and selfless person willing to lay her life for those she loved and for a righteous cause.

The younger metalbender nodded. After her stint as Republic City’s most notorious inmate, a dizzying personal journey had taken her from enemy number one to mentee and friend to the esteemed chief and she had personally benefited from the elder Beifong’s more nurturing side. 

“Thank you for reminding me. I think you’ve seen that I too have that tendency to bottle up when it comes to what I feel. About Su…” the metalbender let out a long sigh. “Things have improved a lot since we began patching things up the last time I was in Zaofu but I can’t help but still feel awkward. It’s like walking on eggshells you know...I owe her so much and at the same time, I wish we could have arrived at an understanding before things turned to the worst. There are moments I feel frustrated she wasn’t able to listen to me and Baatar and when that happens, I feel guilty about having those thoughts. I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever be able to put everything behind us.”

Kya saw the inner turmoil play in the pained look on the younger woman’s face and she understood Lin’s earnest drive to help Suyin’s former student. 

“That you’re trying to sort out your feelings means you genuinely want to make amends. I don’t think this is meant to be an easy process. You hurt each other deeply and it’s going to take time before you’re at ease with her again, but it is a beginning and right now, that’s all that matters. I’m sure she feels the same, and that’s why she’s extended her protection over you again.”

“I miss them, you know. Su, Opal, everyone back home. Sometimes I find myself missing my old life and it’s hard,” Kuvira muttered, her voice overwhelmed by yearning. “It’s funny in a sort of twisted way how the Red Lotus messed both Korra’s life and mine. Our lives would’ve been so different if they hadn’t come back. She wouldn’t have been tortured and I wouldn’t’ have turned into a tyrant.” The last word was uttered with a rueful chuckle. Kya noticed how her eyes glistened from tears she stubbornly refused to shed.

“We all would have ended up living different lives,” Kya conceded. “But we can’t know for sure if they would have been better, don’t you think?”

Kuvira glanced at the waterbender, confusion, and incredulity flashing in her eyes.

“We’ve all gone through so much and lost so much in the process. I can’t even imagine what it is to be in your shoes bearing the burden of your mistakes, but I’m an optimist. Blame it on my father and mother for instilling in me this optimism, but despite the hardships, I look at us today and I find myself with Linny after so many times I feared it was a waste of time to hold out for an impossible dream. I see sisters that had been apart for many decades entrenched in old grudges give themselves a second chance at being a family again. I see you with Korra and it makes me believe once more in the healing power of love and forgiveness that my parents spoke so much of.”

The tears proved to be more stubborn than Kuvira, silently slipping down her cheeks despite her refusal to acknowledge them.

“We’ve gone through terrible things but we’ve gone through many wonderful ones too, and those are the ones that keep me sane and hopeful for the future. I don’t want you to think we should just sweep the past under the carpet as if nothing happened, but I just wanted to remind you of all the good we have today. This trip itself proves that. Make no mistake: what you are doing takes courage and the fact that you and Lin are taking the steps to fix your relationships with Su despite your differences is just extraordinary.”

“Kya I…I don’t know what to say.” Kuvira’s voice was cracking now.

“You don’t have to say anything. Now you better wipe those tears because our dashing heroes are returning. We can continue later if you wish,” Kya noted with a wink as she extended a handkerchief towards the metalbender.

“Thank you,” Kuvira muttered as she cleaned her face. 

“It took a while because the airship turned out to be manufactured by Cabbage Corp, so we had to metalbend some of the parts and scan the entire ship for structural integrity. Seriously, I don’t know how these fools remain in business with their shoddy quality. I can’t believe Wu is still working with them!” Korra exclaimed, perplexed.

“Unfortunately, the government can’t play favorites when they contract, but I thought Wu’s cabinet had kept the ones my government had with Varrick and the Fire Nation after we were done with Cabbage Corp. But there’s also Zaofu. Their fleet’s quality is arguably superior. I should tip Suyin on that when we make it there.”

“If we keep talking about the riveting world of the procurement process, we will not make it at all so we better hurry back,” urged Lin.

“Oh, I know that look. We should do what Linny says before she literally drags us back,” Kya warned with a playful smile as she wrapped an arm around the chief’s waist. Immediately, the frown that had been perched in Lin’s brow melted away as she allowed herself to be guided by the waterbender.

“Those two crack me up,” Korra snickered as she watched the older women walk in tandem. 

“You know something, Kor? I’m glad you insisted we made this trip.”

“You are?” It had taken considerable effort for Korra to convince Kuvira to join Lin and Kya in their surprise visit to Suyin. In fact, it would be her first visit to her former home as a free woman.

Kuvira nodded affirmatively as she linked her arm around Korra’s.

“You are wiser than you give yourself credit for.”

Korra eyed the former captain skeptically. The lack of sleep must have really gotten into her, making her delirious.

“Okay, whatever you say. Something tells me that whatever Kya and you talked about must’ve been pretty interesting.”

“Something like that, but for now we should just look forward to our trip, right?”

The Avatar smiled and nodded in agreement. She could wholeheartedly get behind the sentiment.

And as they resumed their journey, Kuvira sensed a new phase of her life was about to be unveiled, but the thought didn’t stir anxiety or doubt inside her heart. The presence of her companions and Kya’s words had instilled in her reassurance that whatever fate had in store for her, she wouldn’t have to go that path alone. She would embrace the future and the unknown, one day at a time.

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this story. After a challenging year, I wanted to convey some optimism, and what better way to do so than through our favorite former dictator's journey towards redemption? It was originally supposed to have ended in Zaofu but the story took me through another route and since it was getting long, I decided to end it here instead. I really enjoyed having Kuvira interact with Kya, which is a character she doesn't get to interact with in canon and I hope to feature more interactions in future stories. If you would like to find out more about our girls in Zaofu with Suyin and the rest of the Beifongs, please let me know in the comments. 
> 
> Happy New 2021 and thanks for reading!


End file.
